Our go to place for Karaoke. We like the KJ snd crowd.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Beth
Nice place. good menu. They got karaoke ?. Friendly people
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Chelsee Gillespie
Upon arrival, the sign says to seat yourself, there were two people standing at the service desk. We seated ourselves and waited for about 5 min no one came with menus or even greeted us. I had to get up and go to the front desk to ask for menus, was greeted with an unpleasant employee who didn’t seem to like that she had to retrieve said menus.Got our menus and looked over them and didn’t receive service for almost 10min after that. Gave order and received food at a decent time. During the process of eating we only got checked on once. After finishing our food we waited for nearly 30 minutes before someone came to ask if we need anything else. We got our check and boxes and left.The key to running a good service is to be constantly making your rounds. The bar may have been busy but not the restaurant part of it there is no reason to be leaving any customer feeling neglected. It takes literally 1-3min of your time per table to see if anyone needs anything.We won’t be eating here again.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Steven Lehman
They had a very large menuThe food was good.Tuesday nights are good time to come practice your karaoke as they're very few people
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Sean Veneman
Kelly is a Rockstar! Hands down the best bartender I've ever had serve me. Fast, efficient and friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Mason Kelly
TL;DRCleanse the whole building of Mandarin Palace vibes as much as possible and make improvements to dining areas more visible upon entrance.Make your menu stand out somehow against your nearby competitors. Three burger spots (Bville, MidCity, Silver Birch) in one block is just not going to help the underdog in this case. This is going to require better (more expensive) kitchen staff and more expensive meals like steak.Get your name out there somehow, someway, once you have something that will leave an impression on newcomers and old fans of MP. Most people who drive by think it's still the old restaurant.This place is trying to turn around a restaurant that was undeniably disgusting. Seriously, Mandarin Pal was some of the worst Chinese food I've had every single time someone ordered it for takeout, and dining in just felt creepy. It's way too big of a building and very closed off inside.The location and reputation of the old restaurant is going to make it really difficult for the new owners to put "Silver Birch Kitchen" in peoples heads especially when there are multiple other locations (Sports Page, Dublin, Dugout) nearby that have established reputations and are way more lively.You might notice how other reviews and this one haven't mentioned the actual restaurant part of the huge building. That's because when you walk in, you can't see it, just a lobby in the middle of renovation that's still majorly Mandarin Palace vibes. It's kind of jarring, but I see the potential in where the owner wants this place to go. Renovating the aesthetic (opening up walls) of the entire restaurant would be extremely refreshing to the eyes, especially if the overall design made it not still feel like a dingy cheap spot.I'm going to take a guess that the bar is the only thing keeping this place afloat right now, and maybe their takeout. The problem with their takeout is that it's American food, half of which is burger variations. Burgerville is right next door, and again, the previously mentioned locations are already known to have decent American food. Mandarin Palace only survived because it was cheap, fast, and the only nearby Chinese food.The bar is the heart of this place, especially the bartenders and regulars that just make it feel welcoming. Opposite the restaurant, I don't think they should actually change much here. Yes, it's a little worn and divey, but not in an off-putting or obnoxious way. It feels like you're in a truly local neighborhood spot to hang out and not be overwhelmed. Maybe some new paint and a couple of renovations to match what they plan to do for the restaurant side, but I think it largely works as is.Uptown beer is 100% pulling in a lot of their daytime customers, and I see that getting even worse as the weather warms because they have that Portland outdoor vibe and amazing smash burgers that are easily the best on that blockI hope this place turns out, they have the space to make it really fun and a nice slightly upscale sit-down restaurant for the whole neighborhood, with a small but cozy bar to hangout in then walk home from on the trail. These are their main advantages and should be leveraged.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
Taylor W.
pretty decent place. good good options and great beer and cider. we got to play bingo! great entertainment and the host was great! they give free tickets for the raffle and we do 5 rounds of bingo! it was so fun even though we were told the wrong time :( def go 1st and 3rd of every sunday!
Tyson Dodge
Great food, great service, definitely coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Pickle Chips and Chipotle Sauce
Debbie Geiger
I would give the bartenders/servers a 10 if I could. They were amazing.Vegetarian options: The bowl with fried chickpeas was interesting but a bit bland.
It's ok. Comfortable, reasonable pricing, solid food. The brussel sprouts are very good.I'd rather it was the old Chinese place ?
Casey Woodruff
I happened across this place while driving around. Kearstin was the bartender. Great service, personable, with a great sense of humor. Stayed longer because of her.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
ross king
Great atmosphere...food is good,but.....needs some phisas? Just seems kinda boring.salads NEED Better dressings (bland). But looks picture perfect so I guess you're just going to have to be the judge.Vegetarian options: They do have some alternative options.Parking: N/a
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries
Nick Marshall
Went for the brunch since we just saw this place pop up since the Chinese food place that was here prior. Definitely a bar that has restaurant service, I wouldn’t expect any more than that. Brunch was a bit spendy for what it was but our waitress(who was also bartending at the time) was nice.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Devin Ochs
Awesome bar/lounge in a weird spot. I went on a Friday night and got a happy hour burger for $8. The bar was mostly empty, but everyone there was great. I spotted a pool table in a separate area. I will definitely come here whenever I'm in the area.
Great service the fries are outstanding!!
Our go to place for Karaoke. We like the KJ snd crowd.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Nice place. good menu. They got karaoke ?. Friendly people
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Upon arrival, the sign says to seat yourself, there were two people standing at the service desk. We seated ourselves and waited for about 5 min no one came with menus or even greeted us. I had to get up and go to the front desk to ask for menus, was greeted with an unpleasant employee who didn’t seem to like that she had to retrieve said menus.Got our menus and looked over them and didn’t receive service for almost 10min after that. Gave order and received food at a decent time. During the process of eating we only got checked on once. After finishing our food we waited for nearly 30 minutes before someone came to ask if we need anything else. We got our check and boxes and left.The key to running a good service is to be constantly making your rounds. The bar may have been busy but not the restaurant part of it there is no reason to be leaving any customer feeling neglected. It takes literally 1-3min of your time per table to see if anyone needs anything.We won’t be eating here again.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
They had a very large menuThe food was good.Tuesday nights are good time to come practice your karaoke as they're very few people
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Kelly is a Rockstar! Hands down the best bartender I've ever had serve me. Fast, efficient and friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
TL;DRCleanse the whole building of Mandarin Palace vibes as much as possible and make improvements to dining areas more visible upon entrance.Make your menu stand out somehow against your nearby competitors. Three burger spots (Bville, MidCity, Silver Birch) in one block is just not going to help the underdog in this case. This is going to require better (more expensive) kitchen staff and more expensive meals like steak.Get your name out there somehow, someway, once you have something that will leave an impression on newcomers and old fans of MP. Most people who drive by think it's still the old restaurant.This place is trying to turn around a restaurant that was undeniably disgusting. Seriously, Mandarin Pal was some of the worst Chinese food I've had every single time someone ordered it for takeout, and dining in just felt creepy. It's way too big of a building and very closed off inside.The location and reputation of the old restaurant is going to make it really difficult for the new owners to put "Silver Birch Kitchen" in peoples heads especially when there are multiple other locations (Sports Page, Dublin, Dugout) nearby that have established reputations and are way more lively.You might notice how other reviews and this one haven't mentioned the actual restaurant part of the huge building. That's because when you walk in, you can't see it, just a lobby in the middle of renovation that's still majorly Mandarin Palace vibes. It's kind of jarring, but I see the potential in where the owner wants this place to go. Renovating the aesthetic (opening up walls) of the entire restaurant would be extremely refreshing to the eyes, especially if the overall design made it not still feel like a dingy cheap spot.I'm going to take a guess that the bar is the only thing keeping this place afloat right now, and maybe their takeout. The problem with their takeout is that it's American food, half of which is burger variations. Burgerville is right next door, and again, the previously mentioned locations are already known to have decent American food. Mandarin Palace only survived because it was cheap, fast, and the only nearby Chinese food.The bar is the heart of this place, especially the bartenders and regulars that just make it feel welcoming. Opposite the restaurant, I don't think they should actually change much here. Yes, it's a little worn and divey, but not in an off-putting or obnoxious way. It feels like you're in a truly local neighborhood spot to hang out and not be overwhelmed. Maybe some new paint and a couple of renovations to match what they plan to do for the restaurant side, but I think it largely works as is.Uptown beer is 100% pulling in a lot of their daytime customers, and I see that getting even worse as the weather warms because they have that Portland outdoor vibe and amazing smash burgers that are easily the best on that blockI hope this place turns out, they have the space to make it really fun and a nice slightly upscale sit-down restaurant for the whole neighborhood, with a small but cozy bar to hangout in then walk home from on the trail. These are their main advantages and should be leveraged.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 5
pretty decent place. good good options and great beer and cider. we got to play bingo! great entertainment and the host was great! they give free tickets for the raffle and we do 5 rounds of bingo! it was so fun even though we were told the wrong time :( def go 1st and 3rd of every sunday!
Great food, great service, definitely coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Pickle Chips and Chipotle Sauce
I would give the bartenders/servers a 10 if I could. They were amazing.Vegetarian options: The bowl with fried chickpeas was interesting but a bit bland.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
It's ok. Comfortable, reasonable pricing, solid food. The brussel sprouts are very good.I'd rather it was the old Chinese place ?
I happened across this place while driving around. Kearstin was the bartender. Great service, personable, with a great sense of humor. Stayed longer because of her.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Great atmosphere...food is good,but.....needs some phisas? Just seems kinda boring.salads NEED Better dressings (bland). But looks picture perfect so I guess you're just going to have to be the judge.Vegetarian options: They do have some alternative options.Parking: N/a
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Bacon Cheeseburger and Fries
Went for the brunch since we just saw this place pop up since the Chinese food place that was here prior. Definitely a bar that has restaurant service, I wouldn’t expect any more than that. Brunch was a bit spendy for what it was but our waitress(who was also bartending at the time) was nice.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Awesome bar/lounge in a weird spot. I went on a Friday night and got a happy hour burger for $8. The bar was mostly empty, but everyone there was great. I spotted a pool table in a separate area. I will definitely come here whenever I'm in the area.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5